San Carlos City Council to get Northeast plan Specific Plan

Under development for nearly four years, the plan is one step away from final adoption by the City Council. 

“This is a large endeavor and an important effort in our community to do something a little new, to do something that makes existing a little better and to make sure that we are a good community to live in moving forward,” Chair Kristen Clements said. 

The plan’s focus area is approximately 145 acres bound between Highway 101 and Old County Road to the east and west, and Belmont Creek to the north and the Greater East San Carlos neighborhood to the south. 

The specific plan is a framework for future development, guiding growth with a focus on establishing a new mixed-use district that “celebrates the industrial legacy” of the area while accommodating for necessary growth, according to a staff report. 

Expected growth in the area is extensive, with around 4.5 million square feet of nonresidential land use and up to 1,890 units of housing. 

The environmental impact report found that the only significant and unavoidable impacts would relate to air quality and greenhouse gas emissions — impacts that were deemed necessary to endure for the sake of development. Planning Commissioners agreed. 

“It is always easier and better from an environmental perspective to not have any growth whatsoever but what we give up with not building housing to accommodate future growth is an inferior welfare of our citizens and our residents,” Clements said. 

The specific plan proposed two mixed-use zone changes that would allow for multi-family developments, one allowing 90 dwelling units per acre and another allowing 75 dwelling units per acre. 

Growing populations will undoubtedly have an impact on schools, staff acknowledged, and school impact fees will be collected as developments come online and before they’re constructed that will go directly to existing schools in the area, staff said. 

The mixed-use zone allowing for 75 dwelling units per acre is the southernmost zone bordering the single-family Greater East San Carlos neighborhood. Considering this proximity, the plan proposes stepdowns of building heights to transition to the lower buildings nearby. 

Public open spaces were deemed a priority within the specific plan. As outlined, developers of lots between 15,000 square feet to 1 acre must devote at least 10% of the development to publicly accessible open space; 15% for larger lots than an acre. 

The mixed-use zone allowing for 90 dwelling units per acre was identified as a potential site of a future park, the staff report reads. 

Commissioners and staff acknowledged repeatedly it is only a guidebook for future development proposals, not a hard and set plan. The success of the plan will be realized when development proposals come across the commission and council’s desks. 

“I want to emphasize, to me, this is a framework that hopefully has flexibility built in to address things that will inevitably come up,” Commissioner Jorge Tapias said. 

Something commissioners expressed particular appreciation for were the inclusion of setbacks on property developments near Belmont Creek. Any new developments must include a minimum 35-foot setback from the existing top of the bank and provide vegetation in the initial 25 feet. 

“Setbacks provide the right signaling to developers about the space that we need to manage stormwater in this area,” Vice Chair Summer Bundy said. 

Commissioners approved the associated documents, amendments and final environmental impact report unanimously, looking forward to bringing a long-developed plan close to the finish line. 

“This is a really sound framework to move into the future with,” Clements said. 

The San Carlos City Council is slated to consider the final plan and associated amendments at its meeting June 8.